Support growing for remote working

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 11 March 2009 11:21

IT Industry - Market

Yet remote working is still a minority practice, even where employees want it and their bosses and co-workers are onside.

"Strategic use of a remote work force and supporting technologies can be a competitive game-changer in this down economy, especially for small and midsize businesses (SMBs) that have historically trailed large enterprise companies in adopting remote working practices," said Michael Park, corporate vice president of the US small and midmarket solutions & partners group at Microsoft.

"After surveying those areas where SMBs employ a large percentage of the local work force, our findings suggest that businesses that currently leverage remote workers are enjoying an advantage over their competitors," he added.

So if you're a would-be remote worker, which are the best mid-size cities to settle in?

According to the survey, the list is:

San Diego, California
West Palm Beach, Florida
Buffalo, New York
Salt Lake City, Utah
Raleigh, North Carolina
Oklahoma City. Oklahoma
Nashville, Tennessee
Charleston, South Carolina.
Greensboro, North Carolina
Hartford-New Haven, Connecticut

On the other hand, employers in Las Vegas, Nevada, were the least supportive of remote working. And New Orleans, Louisiana, and Louisville, Kentucky, showed significantly lower levels of support from managers, peers and colleagues.